Ilana Glazer (born April 12, 1987)[1] is an American stand-up comedian, actress, writer, producer, director, and activist. She co-created and co-starred, with Abbi Jacobson, in the Comedy Central series Broad City, which is based on the web series of the same name.[2] She was twice nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series for the series. Glazer also starred in the 2017 film Rough Night and released her debut stand-up comedy special, The Planet Is Burning, in January 2020. In 2022, she won the Tony Award for Best Musical for serving as a producer for the Broadway show A Strange Loop.
Ilana Glazer | |
---|---|
Born | New York City, U.S | April 12, 1987
Medium |
|
Education | New York University (BA) |
Years active | 2006–present |
Spouse |
David Rooklin (m. 2017) |
Children | 1 |
Glazer, born in New York City, New York,[1] is the daughter of Sandi and Larry Glazer, who both work in insurance and finance.[1][3] She grew up in a Reform Jewish family in St. James, New York, on Long Island and is of Ashkenazi Jewish descent.[4][5][6] Her brother, Eliot Glazer, is a producer, writer and actor with whom she has worked on shows like The Boys Presents: Diabolical and Broad City where he plays her brother.[7]
Glazer graduated from New York University in 2009,[8][9] majoring in psychology.[10]
Glazer began taking classes at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in 2006, and performed around New York City doing improv and stand-up for the next several years.[11][12]
In 2009, along with co-creator Abbi Jacobson, Glazer began shooting Broad City, a web series starring the two as fictionalized versions of themselves. The series was nominated for an ECNY Award for 'Best Web Series'[13] and was positively received, garnering attention from major media outlets such as Entertainment Weekly, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal.[14] The series caught the attention of Amy Poehler, who subsequently met with Glazer and Jacobson to help them shop a pilot script based on the series.[15][2] Poehler also agreed to star in the web series finale.[16][17]
In 2011, cable network FX, working with Poehler as the producer, purchased a script commitment for the series from Glazer and Jacobson. However, the network did not approve the script and decided not to proceed with development. Glazer and Jacobson then approached Comedy Central, who agreed to purchase the script from FX and order a pilot.[18][19]
From 2012 to 2014, Glazer co-created the web series Chronic Gamer Girl with Alex Charak.[20][21]
Broad City made its broadcast television premiere in January 2014 and was received with positive reviews and strong ratings, becoming Comedy Central's highest-rated first season since 2012 among the younger demographics, including adults 18–34, with an average of 1.2 million viewers.[22]
The show has received critical acclaim from fans and critics alike. Review aggregation website Metacritic noted season 1 received "generally favorable reviews", giving it a score of 75 out of 100, based on reviews from 14 critics.[23]
In February 2014, Comedy Central renewed the show for a second season.[24] Season 2 received positive reviews, with Metacritic giving it a score of 89 out of 100, based on reviews from 8 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[25]
In January 2015, the series was renewed for a third season, which premiered on February 17, 2016.[26] In January 2016, the series was renewed for a fourth and a final fifth season,[27] which premiered on January 24, 2019.
Glazer starred in the 2013 independent feature film How to Follow Strangers.[28] The film won top prize at the Lower East Side Film Festival.[29] She appears in the 2015 film The Night Before.[30] Glazer starred alongside Scarlett Johansson and Kate McKinnon in the 2017 comedy Rough Night.[31] Glazer stars in the horror film False Positive, released on Hulu on June 25, 2021.[32]
Glazer's debut stand-up special The Planet Is Burning premiered on Amazon Prime in January 2020.[33] It was directed by Ryan Cunningham and Glazer served as an executive producer.
In 2022, Glazer was in the main cast of the Apple TV+ mystery comedy series The Afterparty.
Glazer founded the campaign platform Generator Collective in 2016 with Glennis Meagher. The platform promotes female election candidates and general participation in democracy and political discussion.[34][35][36][37]
Glazer was once roommates with comedian Rachel Bloom after college in Brooklyn.[38] In February 2017, Glazer married her longtime boyfriend, computational biologist[10] David Rooklin, in a private ceremony.[39][40] Glazer is queer and has credited her work on Broad City with helping her understand her sexuality.[41]
On March 17, 2021, Glazer announced on social media and in a magazine photo shoot that she and Rooklin were expecting a child together. Their first child, a daughter, was born in July 2021.[42][43]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2012 | Nature Boys | Elle | Short film |
2013 | Little Horribles | Lindsay | Short film |
How to Follow Strangers | Ellie | ||
2014 | High and Dry | Vet Assistant | Short film |
2015 | The Night Before | Rebecca Grinch | |
2017 | Rough Night | Frankie | |
2021 | False Positive | Lucia "Lucy" Martin | Also writer and producer |
2022 | Sell/Buy/Date | Herself | Documentary |
2024 | Babes | Eden | Also writer and producer |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2010 | Broad City | Ilana Wexler | Web series; also creator 15 episodes |
2012 | Tosh.0 | Alison (uncredited) | Episode: "Parkour Girl" (character in viewer video) |
2013 | CollegeHumor | Unknown | Episode: "All-Nighter: Rap Intro" |
2014–19 | Broad City | Ilana Wexler | Lead role; also creator, writer, director, executive producer 50 episodes |
2015 | Lucas Bros Moving Co | Sister Sister (voice) | Episode: "Sister Sister Sister" |
Inside Amy Schumer | Herself | Episode: "80s Ladies" | |
Lip Sync Battle | Herself | Episode: "Ilana Glazer vs. Abbi Jacobson" | |
2015–20 | BoJack Horseman | Penny Carson (voice) | 3 episodes |
2016 | Time Traveling Bong | Sharee | Lead role; miniseries |
Brad Neely's Harg Nallin' Sclopio Peepio | Various | Regular | |
2018 | Sesame Street | Ms. Noodle | 2 episodes |
RuPaul's Drag Race | Herself, guest judge | Episode: "Breastworld"[44] | |
2019–2022 | Green Eggs and Ham | EB (voice) | Main cast |
2022 | The Afterparty | Chelsea | Main cast; 7 episodes |
Ziwe | Herself | Episode: "Hot!" |
Association | Year | Category | Work | Result | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Critics' Choice Television Awards | 2014 | Best Actress in a Comedy Series | Broad City | Nominated | [45] |
2015 | Best Actress in a Comedy Series | Broad City | Nominated | [46] | |
Daytime Emmy Awards | 2023 | Outstanding Daytime Special (as a host) | Recipe for Change: Standing Up to Anti-Semitism | Won | [47] |
MTV Movie & TV Awards | 2017 | Best Comedic Performance (with Abbi Jacobson) | Broad City | Nominated | [48] |
Primetime Emmy Awards | 2016 | Outstanding Short Form Comedy or Drama Series | Hack Into Broad City | Nominated | [49] |
2017 | Outstanding Short Form Comedy or Drama Series | Hack Into Broad City | Nominated | ||
2019 | Outstanding Short Form Comedy or Drama Series | Hack Into Broad City | Nominated | ||
Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series | Nominated | ||||
Tony Awards | 2022 | Best Musical | A Strange Loop | Won | [50] |
Writers Guild of America Awards | 2016 | Best Comedy Series | Broad City | Nominated | [51] |
Glazer's father, Larry, works in insurance and finance. Her mother, Sandi, works with him.
Jacobson and Glazer have talked about growing up in Reform Jewish families, but neither is especially observant...
Hometown: St. James, New York
The writers involved also include Eliot Glazer, who might be most immediately recognizable to comedy fans as the actor who played Eliot, the brother of Ilana Wexler (Ilana Glazer) on Broad City